LETTER: Don't neglect women's health in reform talk

We've been hearing a lot of fuss about health care reform and a public health insurance option, but we're not hearing very much about women's health care and how much it stands to lose if these concerns aren't addressed.

I'm a college student and I've been volunteering for Planned Parenthood since high school. I've seen firsthand how women's health centers such as Planned Parenthood are integral to healthy communities.

Contrary to popular belief, 90 percent of the work Planned Parenthood does is preventive and primary care: contraception, routine gynecological exams, breast cancer screenings and testing for diseases, among other things. Six in 10 patients at women's community health centers say that it is their primary source of health care.

Women already pay 68 percent more in out-of-pocket health care costs than men because of their reproductive health care needs.

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In this economic crisis, more and more women are turning to women's health centers for basic health needs.

We can't leave out the millions of women, and men, who depend on community health centers such as Planned Parenthood and the reproductive health services they provide.